Former media regulator Maciej Świrski released after CBA detention, charged over 'Sprawiedliwe Sądy' campaign financing

Maciej Świrski, the former chairman of the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT), broke his silence on Wednesday evening with a short statement on social media after being detained and questioned by Poland's Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA). He was released on bail-like conditions alongside Cezary Jurkiewicz, the former president of the Polish National Foundation (PFN). Both face charges stemming from the financing of the 2017 'Sprawiedliwe Sądy' (Fair Courts) media campaign.

Detention and release

CBA agents detained Świrski in Warsaw early on Tuesday, 14 July, while Jurkiewicz was apprehended in the Podlaskie region. The operation was ordered by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Rzeszów. After searches and evidence collection, both men were transported to Rzeszów for questioning. Świrski published his first public statement on Wednesday evening on the platform X.

I am free. Thank you everyone for your support. It is touching that there are so many people who understand and support me. For procedural reasons, I will not comment on the prosecutor's actions. More information tomorrow.

Both suspects were released after the hearings concluded. The prosecution applied non-custodial preventive measures: a ban on leaving the country combined with the confiscation of their passports. Neither man admitted to the charges and both submitted explanations.

The 'Sprawiedliwe Sądy' campaign

The investigation focuses on the activities of the Polish National Foundation's board in 2017. Prosecutors allege that Świrski and Jurkiewicz, acting jointly and in agreement, abused their powers and failed to fulfil their duties by allocating PFN funds to the 'Sprawiedliwe Sądy' campaign, which they say was contrary to the foundation's statutory objectives.

In violation of the Political Parties Act, they transferred non-cash benefits in the form of political marketing services valued at 8,400,000 PLN to the Law and Justice and Solidarna Polska parties.

The campaign featured billboards, television spots, and online materials with slogans such as 'A drunk judge caused a disturbance in a club' and 'A judge stole trousers'. It ran during a period of street protests against the then-government's judicial reforms. The prosecution asserts it caused the foundation material damage of no less than 8,428,542.74 PLN.

Charges and potential penalties

The prosecutor's office stated that the gathered evidence allowed charges to be filed for a crime of mismanagement, specifically, abuse of authority and dereliction of duty in connection with the campaign's financing. The charges also include the illegal transfer of non-cash benefits to two political parties, PiS and Solidarna Polska, via political marketing services valued at the same 8.4 million PLN figure. The offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Political reactions

The detentions drew sharp reactions across Poland's political spectrum. PiS politicians denounced the action as repression. Michał Wójcik called the applicable legal provision 'a sack into which almost anyone can be thrown' and described being pulled from home at 6:00 a.m. after nine years as 'another element of the attack on the opposition'. Marek Suski labelled the governing coalition a 'cryptodictatorship'.

Every time the hand of justice reaches a PiS politician or a person connected with PiS and the former system, PiS screams: Revenge. I say: Justice.

Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak stated that the financial damage to the foundation amounted to at least 8.4 million PLN, adding that 'the moral damage is incalculable'. The Association of Polish Journalists (SDP) issued a strong protest, arguing the detention of Świrski 'is intended to create a chilling effect and intimidate conservative circles' and demanding an end to 'methods characteristic of authoritarian states'.

What happens next

Świrski has promised further information on Thursday. The prosecutor's office has not yet disclosed the full text of the charges or their precise legal classification, citing the integrity of the ongoing investigation. Świrski served on the PFN board from 2016 to 2018, later becoming KRRiT chairman; Jurkiewicz was PFN president and subsequently a board member, and in recent years also served as Świrski's assistant at KRRiT.